Trotter on the Labour party

Chris Trotter is in superb form with his post about Labour and the Greens. He concludes that Labour is suffering from political dementia:

More and more Labour is beginning to resemble those dementia patients at Silverstream Hospital. Some of Labourâ€™s caucus, like Trevor Mallard, are prone to violent episodes; others, like Shane Jones, test the boundaries of political probity in the most disconcerting fashion. The most pitiful to contemplate, however, are the likes of David Cunliffe and Grant Robertson. They know there are alternatives out there, they can see them,but their colleagues will insist on hauling them back to their beds.

How sad it will be if New Zealandâ€™s oldest political party is forced to end its days looking out at a world it is no longer able to change; weeping tears of silent rage as younger politicians, with the courage to look beyond tomorrow, get ready to inherit today.

Labour needs a damned good purge (well not really, I’m happy for them to continue being pathetic). Anyone who was a minister in Helengrad should be looked at very, very seriously for being asked to walk the plank. Especially Mallard.Â

As much as I like Labour to continue being pathetic, I’d prefer a strongish Labour-led government to some eco-leftwing nationalist clusterfuck with NZF and Greens dominating the agenda.

Gazzaw

I totally agree Joel. If we have to have a socialist government then it has to be labour dominated and not reliant on the loony greens or a senile NZFP.

Right now though what we want is a viable, cohesiveÂ & articulate labour party controlling the Opposition. True democracyÂ requires an effective Opposition. What we have is a leaderless & factional group that commands no respect.

AngryTory

Â If we have to have a socialist government then it has to be labour dominated and not reliant on the loony greens or a senile NZFP.

Oh FFS – we have a socialist government – actually a communist government, but its own admission – under John Key. Â How could Labour be any better?Â

Â True democracyÂ requires an effective Opposition.

True freedom & capitalism requires only freedom-loving capitalists are in parliament and the civil service – let alone in government!Â

AnonWgtn

National cannot get the numbers in 2014 – they will have the most seats but not enough to govern.
Labour want power, but cannot achieve that without Greenpeace, whose demands will be frightening.
Norman has said he wants Finance and dep PM and Turei for Social Welfare for starters. They will control policy too.
Labour has nobody to counteract that – they have no intelligent people whereas Greenpeace have middle class very well educated left wing liberals – not necessarily with any brains but overwhelmeing over Labour.

AngryTory

Â How sad it will be if New Zealandâ€™s oldest political party is forced to end its days looking out at a world it is no longer able to change; weeping tears of silent rage as younger politicians, with the courage to look beyond tomorrow, get ready to inherit today.

It won’t be sad – it will be wonderful. And – frankly – this is the best description I’ve seen of socialism and communism throughout the west for ages.

Gazzaw

Oh brighten up FFS AT. You’re like a broken record.

Blokeintakapuna

…and National don’t need to “combat” Labour in any serious fashion at allÂ – just give them enough oxygen and rope so they shrill themselves into a lather and hoist themselves on their own petard through the corrupt actions of their MP’s.Â

By any comparission even the Mana Party appear to be “sound” compared to Labour – so come election time, National will just need to bring out a few “Gotcha” examples of Labour’s cluster-fucks, along with a few well timed offers to the masses that trump Labour’s… and hey presto, another few more terms. Excellent newsÂ for NZ!Â Â

Boss Hogg

When one of NZ’s most articulate communists says this about the crumbling ruins of Helengrad they must have to realise exactly how rooted they are.Â The munters like Mallard and Little will no doubt continue to live in their private dilusional little world.

Gazzaw – who says we need an effective opposition for good democracy?Â I say we do not yet deserve democracy and need a benevolent dictator with true vision and support to shake the country into reality of what is actually happening out in the big world.Â Unwind welfarism and get a genuine reality.

Gazzaw

Boss if I lived in Singapore I would be singing from your hymn sheet. But I don’t.

Lee Kwan Yu’s signed autobiography holds pride of place on my bookshelves.

Boss Hogg

Yep – I do like to dream, but when you see what gets done here, how robust the economy is, how much savings the citizens have, how big the government owned investment vehicles have invested around the world, etc etc it gets very dissapointing to look back at NZ and see the same divisions and arguments going on since I was a child.

Also, reality is coming my way as we are moving back to NZ in the near future……….

I do recomend “Interviews with Lee Kwan Yew” published in 2011 as well.Â Cheers !!

Gazzaw

I am referring to an older book first published in 1998 by Times Publishing Group in Singapore. ‘The Singapore Story’ Memoirs of Lee Kwan Yu.

I haven’t seen it outside Singapore so it would be worthwhile picking up a copy before you come home. It is an excellent book & a ‘must read’ for anyone interested in Asian politics & history.

Cullen’s Sidekick

But don’t forget, due to the nature of MMP, this paryty will return to power in 2014……that is the reason NZ is not as rich as Australia

thor42

Yes. Unfortunately, I have to agree with you there, CS.
In spite of Labour’s awfulness, there is no way in hell that the Nats can get another term. The only silver lining is that it is quite possible that Labour will only be in for one term, given their certain-to-be-fractious alliance with the other lefty parties. Â

The Nats delivered an **unbelievably tepid** Budget recently. Stupid policies like taxing schoolchildren’s jobs, and STILL the sacred cow of Working for Families goes untouched. Axing that would have been the **easiest** few hundred million saved by any government, but no – Key, English and co just didn’t have the balls.

In spite of the fact that Act is little more than a corpse now, I’m very tempted to vote for them in the 2014 election. At least THEY have the balls to stick with their policies. At least they have balls, period. Â

thesorrow&thepity

mmm it’s the violent outbursts that worry me, they’re not just the nasty party they’re the vindictive party & when they get back in they’ll pass all manner of vendetta legislation against any groups who have stood up to them. Last week’s NBR rightly summed Labour up as ‘having yet to repent for the knee-jerk dishonesty, casual smearing & out right corruption of its final years’. You can guarantee they’re dreaming of the day they can enact legislation even more tyrannical than the electoral finance act!